A Brooklyn rabbi and political fund-raiser under scrutiny by the feds was once described by Mayor de Blasio as a trusted friend whose relationship “means so much to me personally.”
De Blasio’s gushing comments about Moishe Indig came at a Sept. 8, 2013, rally in Williamsburg where the mayor was seeking votes from the Hasidic community.
“I have known him for many years, we’ve developed a friendship and a trust and his support, his friendship, means so much to me personally,” de Blasio said. “Let’s thank him for all he does for the community.”
But three years earlier, when he was public advocate, de Blasio listed Indig as one of the city’s worst landlords.
Hasidic leaders at the rally praised the mayor for his willingness to ease regulations on metzitzah b’peh, the practice of sucking blood from a just-circumcised penis.
Federal investigators have been probing whether Indig received favors from the city for his support as part of the probe into de Blasio’s Bahis Siteleri fund-raising tactics.
A political operative familiar with Indig’s dealings with the city said he has routinely acted as an intermediary with the government.
“If you have a problem with government, you go to Moishe. He is not a bad guy. It’s just the cost of doing business,” he said.
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